Viburnum plant ‘ILVOAWAI’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Viburnum  plant named ‘ILVOAWAI’ is disclosed, characterized by a very compact, broad, spherical shape, flowers beginning with a pink blush, turning to white. Autumn foliage is greyed-red. The new variety is a  Viburnum , normally produced as an outdoor garden or container plant.

Latin name of the genus and species: Viburnum plicatum.

Variety denomination: ‘ILVOAWAI’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new Viburnum cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor in Melle, Belgium. The open-pollination resulting in this new variety was made during spring of 2009. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new cultivars of Viburnum for commercial horticultural purposes.

The seed parent of ‘ILVOAWAI’ is the unpatented Viburnum plicatum ‘Watanabei’. The pollen parent is unidentified. The new variety was identified as a potentially interesting selection in 2012 at a research greenhouse in Melle, Belgium.

The first asexual propagation of ‘ILVOAWAI’ was carried out in 2019 by rooting stem cuttings at the same research greenhouse Melle, Belgium, and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly. ‘ILVOAWAI’ has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar ‘ILVOAWAI’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, day length, and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘ILVOAWAI’ These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘ILVOAWAI’ as a new and distinct Viburnum cultivar:

-   -   1. Flower are blushed pink in the beginning of flowering period,         turning to white later.     -   2. Flowers from May to July, but can have a second flowering         period in September.     -   3. Very compact, broad, rounded plant shape.     -   4. Very dense, and densely branching.     -   5. Small leaves with a greyed-red autumn coloration.

PARENT COMPARISON

Plants of the new cultivar ‘ILVOAWAI’ are similar to plants of the seed parent in most horticultural characteristics, however, plants of ‘ILVOAWAI’ differ in the following:

-   -   1. Flowers of the new variety begin pinkish and turn white;         flowers of the seed parent variety are consistently white.     -   2. Plants of the new variety are more compact and dense than         plants of the seed parent.

The pollen parent is unidentified.

COMMERCIAL COMPARISON

Plants of the new cultivar ‘ILVOAWAI’ can be compared to the variety Viburnum ‘ILVOMONO’, U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 17/726,850. These varieties are similar in most horticultural characteristics; however, ‘ILVOAWAI’ differs in the following:

-   -   1. Plants of the ‘ILVOAWAI’ are wider than tall, compared to the         more symmetrical plants of ‘ILVOMONO’ which have a nearly equal         height and width.     -   2. Flowers of ‘ILVOAWAI’ are a different shade of pink during         the pink phase of flowering than the pink flowers of ‘ILVOMONO’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

This new Viburnum is illustrated by the accompanying photographs which show the plant's form, foliage and inflorescences. The colors shown are as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description, which accurately describe the colors of the new Viburnum cultivar.

FIG. 1 is a color photograph of a field-grown plant of ‘ILVOAWAI’ in Grand Haven, Mich.

FIG. 2 is a color photograph showing inflorescences of ‘ILVOAWAI’ with a small amount of pink blush grown in Grand Haven, Mich.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the botanical characteristics of the new and distinct Viburnum variety plant known by the denomination ‘ILVOAWAI’. The detailed description was taken on a seven-year-old field-grown plant in Melle, Belgium in 2021. All colors cited herein refer to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.), London, Sixth Edition). Where specific dimensions, sizes, colors, and other characteristics are given, it is to be understood that such characteristics are approximations or averages set forth as accurately as practicable.

-   Botanical classification: Viburnum plicatum ‘ILVOAWAI’.

PROPAGATION

-   Typical method: Softwood cuttings. -   Time to initiate rooting: 28 days at approximately 27° C. -   Time to produce a rooted young plant: About 3 months at     approximately 27° C. -   Root description: Dense, free branching roots of moderate thickness.     Colored yellow-white, not accurately measured with an R.H.S. chart.

PLANT

-   Plant type: Perennial flowering shrub. -   Plant description:     -   -   Growth habit.—Upwards and outwards.         -   Shape.—Compact, spherical.         -   Height.—80 cm.         -   Width.—140 cm.         -   Growth rate.—Moderate.         -   Vigor.—Fairly vigorous.         -   Branching habit.—Basal, freely branching.         -   Pinching required?.—Not required, but if pinched, second             flowering possible. -   Stem:     -   -   Lateral branch length.—Up to 110 cm.         -   Lateral branch diameter.—0.5 to 0.8 cm.         -   Internode length.—4 to 6 cm.         -   Stem texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Color.—RHS Grey-Brown 199B.         -   Strength.—Strong, erect stems.         -   Pubescence.—None.

FOLIAGE

-   Leaf:     -   -   Persistence.—Deciduous to semi-evergreen in warmer climates.         -   Arrangement.—Opposite, single.         -   Shape.—Elliptic.         -   Width.—2.5 cm.         -   Length.—5 cm.         -   Apex.—Acuminate.         -   Base.—Acute.         -   Venation.—Reticulate.         -   Vein color.—Near RHS Green 139A.         -   Margins.—Dentate.         -   Pubescence.—Upper side.         -   Texture, upper side.—Felty, very small hairs.         -   Texture, under side.—Glabrous.         -   Color.—Immature: RHS Green 143B. Mature: RHS Green 143A to             141A and 141B; Autumn coloration near Greyed-Red 178A and             178B. -   Petiole:     -   -   Length.—About 1 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 0.1 cm.         -   Color, upper side.—RHS Red-Purple 60A-B to 59B.         -   Color, under side.—RHS Red-Purple 60A-B to 59B.         -   Texture, upper side.—Very little hairs.         -   Texture, under side.—Very little hairs.

FLOWER

-   Description: Inflorescences on terminal ends of branches. -   Inflorescence type: Compound umbel, lacecap. -   Flower form: Lateral ring of sterile flowers; in the middle, small     fertile flowers; single flowers. -   Flowering season: May through July. -   Longevity on plant: 3 months. -   Persistent or self-cleaning? Persistent. -   Fragrance: None. -   Flower:     -   -   Shape.—Rotate, wheel-shaped.         -   Aspect.—Upright, outward. -   Bud:     -   -   Color, fertile flowers.—Just before opening: RHS             Yellow-White 158B and 158C, with a pink touch. -   Petals:     -   -   Number.—4 to 5.         -   Appearance.—Sterile flowers: 4 petals in a single whorl,             sometimes a 5^(th) small petal. Fertile flowers: 5 petals in             a single whorl.         -   Arrangement.—Rotated (both fertile and sterile flowers),             arranged in a single whorl.         -   Fused?.—Sterile flowers: Yes, fused at base. Fertile             flowers: No.         -   Shape.—Obovate-rounded.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Apex.—Obtuse.         -   Base.—Rounded.         -   Texture.—Smooth, both sides.         -   Color.—Sterile flowers: RHS Yellow-White 158A and 158B.             Fertile flowers: RHS Red-Purple 65A and 65D, over White             155A. -   Sepals: About 0.5 mm in size. Too minute for accurate measurement. -   Calyx: Very small, wheel-shaped.

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

-   Gynoecium:     -   -   Pistil number.—1.         -   Stigma color.—RHS White 155A. -   Androecium:     -   -   Stamen number.—5.         -   Filament length.—About 0.5 cm.         -   Filament color.—RHS White 155A.         -   Anther shape.—Rounded, 2-lobed.         -   Anther size.—About 0.5 mm.         -   Anther color.—RHS Yellow 4B and 4C.         -   Amount of pollen.—Many.         -   Pollen color.—RHS Yellow 4B.

OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

-   Fruit:     -   -   Quantity.—1 per flower.         -   Length.—About 0.8 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 0.4 cm.         -   Shape.—Elliptic.         -   Texture.—Smooth. -   Disease and insect resistance: No disease detected in 7 years. -   Temperature tolerance: Tolerant from 40° C. to −10° C. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Viburnum plant named ‘ILVOAWAI’ as herein illustrated and described. 